▪ Am I financially ready to support an animal for their lifetime, including quality food, grooming, annual vet visits, boarding, monthly heart-worm and flea medicines, and those costs associated with probable illness and old age?

▪ Does my current and future schedule allow for the proper care of a dog?

▪ Is it the right time in my life to invite a companion animal into my home as a permanent member of my family?

▪ Am I ready for the transitional stress and challenge that bringing a new dog home can bring, including accidents in the house, destruction of property, noise, a change to my schedule, and a disruption of other animals in my home?

How the Adoption Process Works:

Everything we do is aimed at giving our dogs the best possible chance of finding a loving permanent home.

▪ If Happy Tails thinks your home sounds like a good fit for the dog, and the dog sounds like a good match for you, you will have a phone conversation with a Happy Tails volunteer. You can ask them any questions you have regarding health, behavior, and long-term care.

▪ If both parties want to proceed, you and all members of your household will be invited to visit the dog.

▪ If you decide adoption is right for you and Happy Tails volunteers believes it is a good fit, we set up another time to bring the dog to your home for the home visit/adoption. You will be asked to sign an adoption contract and pay an adoption fee (usually $150-$350) which covers the spay/neuter, wellness exam, vaccinations, microchip, dental (if needed) and heart-worm and fecal tests. We will also register the dog's microchip together at that time. The cost for this is $10.99 and you will need a credit or debit card on hand.

▪ You will always have continued support from us after your adoption. We invite you to contact us at any time with questions or concerns.

▪ A key part of the adoption contract states that if for any reason you no longer want your dog, the dog is returned to the care of Happy Tails Rescue. If a Happy Tails dog is found abandoned at a vet, shelter, police station etc, Happy Tails will consider this a breach of your adoption contract, and may decide to pursue legal recourse. We take the safety of our dogs very seriously.

Our hope is to place our animals in the very best home for them, as it’s very stressful for the animals when adoptions don’t work out, and can be heartbreaking for you. We are so grateful for your interest in adopting instead of buying a dog!